Monday, December 13, 2010

Inspirado: Echo Park Film Center

Last night I went to an event put on by the Echo Park Film Center at the Downtown Independent Theater. It was called The Sound We See. The film was a 24 minute look at Los Angeles, with each minute of the film representing an hour of the day. It was so wonderful! The best part was it was created by the youth students who take classes at the center. The group of young filmmakers (37 in total) were partnered up and assigned sections of the city to go out and film with 16mm cameras.The film did such a great job encompassing the vibes of the different parts of LA – from the industrial parts of Vernon, to late night Chinatown, to sunny MacAurther Park, to evening rush hour on the 10, to night roller skating in Glendale. The film itself had no sound, but there was a live band playing in the theater as the film was shown, making music that went along with the visuals. There was a Q&A with all 37 filmmakers at the end of the screening which was just delightful. The young filmmakers were so genuine with their answers. Some you could tell were nervous, others were overly boisterous, and there were more than a few “AWWW CUTE” moments as they answered questions from the audience. I really didn’t know what I was walking into when I agreed to join my friends for the screening. I’m so glad I went.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the Echo Park Film Center. It’s been brought up in more than a few conversations as a place I should look into for help with Seas Of Science. I love that it is run by people who are stoked on what they do and more stoked about sharing their passion with other people. I met Paulo and Lisa last night briefly, but they were more than busy sorting out their show. But in the brief moments I was introduced they were so nice!

I’m going to a puppet show put on by the center next Sunday. I’m excited to see it (I missed it last year) and maybe I’ll get the chance to meet and talk to of some of the people behind the show and the center. It is places like the Echo Park Film Center that make me think putting on a show like Seas of Science isn't shear insanity. That it's totally do-able with enough patience, tenacity, and the right resources behind it.